1. Field
The present invention relates generally to wireless communication and, more specifically, to network coding and error correction in ad hoc, multi-path wireless mesh networks in oil and gas fields.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internet access in rural areas is often limited due to technical and economic factors. The existing solutions generally rely on costly, fixed infrastructure, for example, cell towers for the entire scope of coverage. The cost of such infrastructure makes those solutions prohibitively expensive in sparsely populated or uninhabited areas. Similar problems are faced in non-rural areas, though the cost-related challenges are often less severe in these environments.
To provide network access in rural areas, network engineers have proposed various forms of mesh networks. In these networks, geographically distributed nodes relay information between the end-devices and (e.g., fixed permanent, wired) Internet connections. Many existing solutions are generally limited to short range communication (e.g., WiFi™) and low bandwidth (e.g., Zigbee™ or Bluetooth™) communication. Additionally, they are often poorly designed for integration with the Internet. Further, many existing systems compete for bandwidth with established uses, such as WiFi or cellular spectrum.
Hence, there is a need to provide cost-effective and, some cases, dynamically formed mesh-networks that provide wide-area Internet (or local network) access.